Misery Hill

Misery Hill

Autumn color in the Colestin Valley. Located where the Siskiyou Mountains meet the Cascade Mountains in Southern Oregon and Northern California. | Mark Heatherington

Misery Hill is a high volcanic shoulder on the upper slopes of Mount Shasta in northern California, reaching approximately 13,846 feet (4,220 meters) above sea level. Located just below Mount Shasta’s summit plateau, it is one of the most memorable landmarks on the mountain’s standard Avalanche Gulch climbing route.

Despite its name and impressive elevation, Misery Hill is not an independent mountain. It is a minor subpeak of Mount Shasta with only a few feet of topographic prominence. Its importance comes instead from its position on the upper mountain. Climbers reach it after negotiating Avalanche Gulch, the Red Banks, and thousands of feet of climbing, only to discover that Mount Shasta’s true summit is still hidden beyond the top of the hill.

Misery Hill is also geologically significant. The feature gives its name to the Misery Hill cone, one of four major eruptive centers that built the modern Mount Shasta volcano. The cone is younger than approximately 130,000 years and forms a substantial portion of Mount Shasta’s upper slopes.

🏔️ Overview

Misery Hill lies immediately south-southwest of the main summit of Mount Shasta, within the Mount Shasta Wilderness of Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

The hill forms an elevated volcanic shoulder between the upper ends of several climbing routes and the summit plateau. Climbers arriving from Avalanche Gulch typically reach the base of Misery Hill at more than 13,000 feet after passing through or around the Red Banks.

From below, the crest can look frustratingly like the top of the mountain. Once climbers reach it, however, they discover the broad summit plateau and the final summit pinnacle still ahead.

That combination of altitude, fatigue, loose volcanic terrain, and false-summit psychology explains the feature’s memorable name.

Although Misery Hill is often discussed primarily in connection with climbing Mount Shasta, its geological significance is much greater than its topographic prominence suggests. An entire stage in the volcano’s development is named for the Misery Hill cone.

⚡ Fast Facts

Fact	Details
Continent	North America
Country	United States
State/Province	California
County/Region	Siskiyou County
Protected Area	Mount Shasta Wilderness, Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Mountain Range	Cascade Range
Parent Peak	Mount Shasta
Elevation	13,846 ft / 4,220 m
Prominence	Approx. 7 ft / 2 m
Isolation	0.11 mi / 0.18 km
Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN)	Mount Shasta
Key Col	Approx. 13,839 ft / 4,218 m
Coordinates	Approx. 41.4060° N, 122.1976° W
Peak Type	Subpeak / volcanic shoulder
Volcano	Mount Shasta
Volcanic Province	Cascade Volcanic Arc
Rock Type	Primarily andesite and related volcanic rock
Primary Route	Avalanche Gulch
Best Climbing Season	Generally April through June, sometimes into July
Fun Fact	Misery Hill is a famous false summit encountered near the end of the standard climb of Mount Shasta.

📍 Location

Misery Hill is located high on the upper southern portion of Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County, California.

The feature lies only a short distance southwest of the mountain’s true summit. Its elevation of more than 13,800 feet places it above almost every other mountain summit in California, yet it remains simply a shoulder of the much larger 14,000-foot volcano.

The entire area lies within the Mount Shasta Wilderness, which is managed as part of Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Mount Shasta City lies several miles to the southwest, while Weed is northwest of the volcano and McCloud lies southeast.

Because Misery Hill sits so high on Mount Shasta, there is no independent road or hiking trail to it. Reaching the hill normally requires committing to one of the mountain’s upper climbing routes.

📏 Elevation & Prominence

Modern LiDAR data places Misery Hill at approximately 13,846.2 feet (4,220.3 meters).

Older USGS contour mapping placed the feature somewhere between approximately 13,840 and 13,880 feet, which explains why older climbing guides sometimes use slightly different elevations.

Its topographic prominence is only about 7 feet (2 meters).

This extremely small prominence confirms that Misery Hill is not a separate mountain in a topographic sense. It is essentially a slight rise along the upper volcanic terrain of Mount Shasta.

Its isolation is similarly small at roughly 0.11 mile (0.18 kilometer).

The nearest higher neighbor is Mount Shasta itself, whose summit rises roughly 300 feet higher.

🌋 Part of Mount Shasta

Misery Hill is inseparable from Mount Shasta, one of the great volcanic mountains of the Cascade Range.

Mount Shasta is a massive compound stratovolcano rising above northern California. The U.S. Geological Survey considers it the most voluminous Cascade Range volcano, with an estimated volume of approximately 350 cubic kilometers.

The volcano is not a single simple cone. Instead, modern Mount Shasta developed through multiple overlapping eruptive centers.

Four major cone-building episodes produced much of the mountain visible today:

Sargents Ridge cone
Misery Hill cone
Shastina
Hotlum cone

The present summit lies on the younger Hotlum cone, while Misery Hill represents part of an older stage in the volcano’s construction.

This layered volcanic history helps explain why Mount Shasta looks different depending on the direction from which it is viewed.

🌋 The Misery Hill Cone

The Misery Hill cone is much more geologically significant than the small topographic bump called Misery Hill.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Misery Hill cone is the second-oldest of the four major eruptive centers that constructed modern Mount Shasta.

It is younger than approximately 130,000 years and developed after the older Sargents Ridge cone.

Repeated eruptions produced lava flows and other volcanic deposits around a vent located near the present upper mountain. Over time, these materials built a large volcanic cone.

Glacial erosion later reshaped the cone substantially. The Misery Hill cone experienced at least one major period of glaciation, which carved and modified its original volcanic form.

Today, much of Mount Shasta’s upper southern terrain—including the slopes encountered by climbers above the Red Banks—is associated with this eruptive stage.

🪨 Geology

Mount Shasta is composed primarily of andesite and dacite, volcanic rocks commonly produced by Cascade stratovolcanoes.

The volcano exists because the Juan de Fuca and related oceanic plates are being forced beneath the North American Plate along the Cascadia subduction zone.

As oceanic crust descends into the mantle, geological processes generate magma that rises through the crust. Over hundreds of thousands of years, repeated eruptions built the enormous Mount Shasta complex.

An earlier ancestral volcano occupied the site before much of it collapsed roughly 300,000 to 500,000 years ago. The resulting debris avalanche spread across more than 170 square miles of Shasta Valley.

Modern Mount Shasta then developed through successive eruptive episodes.

The Misery Hill stage followed the Sargents Ridge stage but predates much of Shastina and the younger Hotlum summit cone.

🔴 The Red Banks

Immediately below Misery Hill lies one of the most distinctive features on the standard Mount Shasta climb: the Red Banks.

These reddish volcanic cliffs form a prominent band across the upper south side of the mountain.

Climbers following Avalanche Gulch generally climb toward the Red Banks after ascending past Helen Lake and the feature known as the Heart.

Depending on snow conditions, parties may pass through one of several chutes in the Red Banks or travel around their edge.

Once above the Red Banks, climbers encounter more moderate terrain before reaching the base of Misery Hill.

The color of the Red Banks comes from altered and oxidized volcanic material, providing a dramatic contrast with surrounding snow during the main climbing season.

🥾 Avalanche Gulch Route

Misery Hill is best known as part of the Avalanche Gulch route, the classic and most frequently climbed route on Mount Shasta.

The climb begins at Bunny Flat, at roughly 6,950 feet.

From there, climbers travel through forest toward Horse Camp and the historic Sierra Club stone hut. The route continues past 50/50 Flat and toward Helen Lake, which is a popular high camp for two-day ascents.

Above Helen Lake, the climbing becomes considerably steeper.

The route ascends beneath the Heart and toward the Red Banks. After passing through or around the Red Banks, climbers reach a somewhat gentler section sometimes called Short Hill.

Then comes Misery Hill.

At this stage, climbers have already gained thousands of vertical feet and are operating above 13,000 feet. The hill itself may not be technically difficult, but fatigue, thin air, wind, snow, ice, or loose volcanic scree can make the ascent exhausting.

😩 Why Is It Called Misery Hill?

Misery Hill’s name makes perfect sense to anyone who has approached it near the end of a long Mount Shasta climb.

By the time climbers reach its base, they have usually ascended more than 6,000 vertical feet from Bunny Flat and negotiated the steepest parts of Avalanche Gulch.

The slope ahead looks like it might finally lead to Mount Shasta’s summit.

Instead, reaching the top reveals that the true summit is still farther away.

The combination of extreme fatigue, high altitude, loose terrain, and false hope has made Misery Hill notorious among Mount Shasta climbers.

The name is descriptive rather than an indication that the hill is the most technically difficult portion of the climb. For many parties, the steeper snow slopes and Red Banks below present greater technical challenges.

Misery Hill simply arrives at a psychologically difficult point in the ascent.

🏔️ A Famous False Summit

Misery Hill is frequently described as a false summit.

From the Avalanche Gulch side, the true summit pinnacle is not clearly visible while climbing the hill. This can make the upper crest appear to be the end of the ascent.

Once on top, climbers emerge onto the broad summit plateau.

The actual summit lies farther northeast across the plateau and requires another final climb.

This experience is common on large mountains, where ridges and shoulders can hide the true high point. On Mount Shasta, however, the effect is especially memorable because climbers encounter it after an enormous elevation gain.

The top of Misery Hill is therefore both encouraging and frustrating: most of the hardest climbing may be finished, but the summit has not yet been reached.

🥾 From Misery Hill to the Summit

Once climbers reach the crest of Misery Hill, the character of the route changes.

Rather than continuing immediately up another steep wall, parties cross the broad summit plateau toward Mount Shasta’s true summit pinnacle.

The distance is not great, but movement above 13,800 feet can feel slow even on relatively gentle terrain.

The final summit block rises ahead and is typically reached over talus and rocky ground.

From Misery Hill to the summit, navigation deserves particular attention. In clear weather the route is generally obvious, but cloud and whiteout conditions can transform the broad plateau into confusing terrain.

The Mount Shasta Avalanche Center specifically warns that climbers have accidentally descended the wrong side of the mountain from the summit region.

🧗 Other Routes Reaching Misery Hill

Avalanche Gulch is not the only route that converges near Misery Hill.

Casaval Ridge, another classic route on Mount Shasta, rises from the southwest side and terminates at approximately 13,300 feet near the base of Misery Hill.

The West Face route also reaches the upper mountain near Misery Hill.

Other climbing lines ultimately enter the same general summit region.

This makes Misery Hill an important navigational landmark. Climbers traveling on different routes can converge around this upper portion of Mount Shasta before continuing toward the summit plateau.

It also makes careful descent navigation essential. Descending the wrong direction can place climbers on steep terrain, glaciers, or entirely different sides of the mountain.

❄️ Snow, Ice & Scree

Conditions on Misery Hill change dramatically through the climbing season.

Earlier in the season, snow can cover much of the hill and surrounding upper mountain. Firm morning snow may require crampons and careful ice-axe technique.

As summer progresses, snow retreats and increasing amounts of loose volcanic rock become exposed.

The hill can then become an exhausting climb through scree, talus, dust, and unstable volcanic debris.

This transition is one reason Mount Shasta’s standard climbing season generally peaks before the mountain becomes heavily melted out.

Later-season conditions also increase rockfall hazards elsewhere on the Avalanche Gulch route.

🧊 Glaciers

Although Misery Hill itself is not primarily a glacier feature, it rises amid one of California’s most heavily glaciated mountains.

The U.S. Geological Survey recognizes five glaciers on Mount Shasta:

Bolam Glacier
Hotlum Glacier
Konwakiton Glacier
Whitney Glacier
Wintun Glacier

The Whitney Glacier is the largest glacier in California.

The Konwakiton Glacier lies close to the standard Avalanche Gulch climbing route. Depending on seasonal snow conditions, variations around the Red Banks may approach the upper edge of this glacier.

Glacier routes elsewhere on the mountain require specialized crevasse-rescue skills and equipment beyond those typically needed on the standard Avalanche Gulch route under favorable conditions.

🌿 Flora & Fauna

Misery Hill itself lies far above the normal tree line.

At almost 13,850 feet, the landscape consists primarily of volcanic rock, snow, and ice. Severe temperatures, wind, limited soil, and a very short growing season prevent significant vegetation from becoming established.

Lower elevations on Mount Shasta are much more diverse.

Forests encountered on the Avalanche Gulch approach include Shasta red fir, while white fir, Douglas-fir, sugar pine, incense cedar, western white pine, mountain hemlock, and whitebark pine occur in different elevation zones around the mountain.

Whitebark pine is particularly characteristic of Mount Shasta’s upper forest zone and occurs between roughly 8,000 and 9,500 feet.

Above tree line, vegetation becomes increasingly sparse before disappearing almost entirely on the upper volcanic slopes.

Wildlife is also concentrated at lower elevations. Black bears, mule deer, coyotes, foxes, small mammals, and numerous bird species inhabit the wider Mount Shasta region, but the barren slopes around Misery Hill support little permanent animal life.

🌄 Views from Misery Hill

Under clear conditions, Misery Hill provides extraordinary views across northern California and southern Oregon.

The immense volcanic slopes of Mount Shasta spread away below, while the separate cone of Shastina dominates portions of the western view.

Far below are Shasta Valley, Mount Shasta City, forests of the southern Cascades, and portions of the Klamath Mountains.

The top of Misery Hill also provides the climber’s first opportunity to fully understand the layout of the summit plateau and final summit pinnacle.

The sense of scale is remarkable. At nearly 14,000 feet, landscapes that appeared enormous from lower camps are suddenly far below.

🌤️ Best Time to Climb

For the standard Avalanche Gulch approach, the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center generally identifies April through June as the best climbing period, with some seasons remaining suitable into July.

This timing may seem surprising to hikers accustomed to waiting for mountain snow to melt.

Mount Shasta is different.

The standard route is often safest and most enjoyable when consolidated snow still covers the mountain. Firm snow provides a more efficient climbing surface than loose volcanic scree and can reduce exposure to rockfall.

As snow disappears later in summer, the route becomes rougher and rockfall becomes more significant.

Conditions vary considerably from year to year, so climbers should always consult current information from the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center before setting out.

⚠️ Safety

Misery Hill lies within a serious mountaineering environment.

The Avalanche Gulch route gains roughly 7,000 vertical feet and exposes climbers to steep snow and ice, rockfall, sudden storms, strong winds, altitude illness, falls, and navigation errors.

The Mount Shasta Avalanche Center recommends a mountaineering ice axe, crampons, helmet, and the skills necessary to use them correctly when snow and ice conditions require them.

Climbers must know how to self-arrest.

Altitude is particularly important around Misery Hill. The base is already above 13,000 feet, where reduced oxygen can cause severe fatigue, headaches, nausea, impaired judgment, and other symptoms of acute mountain sickness.

Whiteouts are another serious hazard.

Climbers descending from the summit area have accidentally traveled onto the wrong side of the volcano. Navigation skills, route familiarity, and the willingness to turn around when visibility deteriorates are essential.

🎫 Permits & Regulations

Misery Hill lies above 10,000 feet within the Mount Shasta Wilderness, so climbers reaching it are subject to Mount Shasta’s upper-mountain permit requirements.

As of the 2026 climbing season, a Summit Pass is required for anyone traveling above 10,000 feet, even if the person does not intend to reach Mount Shasta’s summit.

The three-day Summit Pass costs $25 per person.

A free Mount Shasta Wilderness permit is also required for entry into the wilderness.

Human waste must be packed out, and waste-packout bags are available at trailheads and ranger stations.

Current Mount Shasta regulations prohibit dogs and campfires in the wilderness and limit wilderness groups to no more than ten people.

Because fees and regulations can change, climbers should confirm the latest requirements before departure.

🚗 Getting There

The most common route to Misery Hill begins at Bunny Flat Trailhead on the southwest side of Mount Shasta.

Bunny Flat is reached by the Everitt Memorial Highway from Mount Shasta City.

From the trailhead, the Avalanche Gulch route climbs toward Horse Camp, 50/50 Flat, Helen Lake, the Red Banks, and finally Misery Hill.

Most climbers complete the full Mount Shasta ascent over two days, often camping around Helen Lake.

Very strong and well-acclimatized mountaineers sometimes complete the route in a single long day, while others choose a three-day itinerary.

Regardless of schedule, reaching Misery Hill represents a major mountaineering effort rather than a standalone recreational hike.

🧭 Nearby Mountains & Landmarks

Mount Shasta rises immediately northeast of Misery Hill and is both its parent peak and nearest higher neighbor.

Shastina forms the enormous secondary cone on Mount Shasta’s western side and reaches more than 12,300 feet.

Sargents Ridge lies south and southeast of Misery Hill and represents an older stage in Mount Shasta’s volcanic development.

Red Banks lie immediately below the upper approach to Misery Hill and form one of the most recognizable landmarks on Avalanche Gulch.

Shastarama Point, Thumb Rock, the Heart, Helen Lake, and Horse Camp are other important landmarks encountered on the southwest side of the volcano.

Farther south in the Cascade Range, Lassen Peak forms another major volcanic summit and anchors Lassen Volcanic National Park.

💡 Fun Facts

Misery Hill reaches approximately 13,846 feet, making it higher than almost every independent mountain in the contiguous United States even though it is only a minor subpeak of Mount Shasta.

Its topographic prominence is only about 7 feet.

The nearest higher neighbor is Mount Shasta, only about 0.11 mile away.

Misery Hill is one of the most famous false summits on a major American mountain.

The hill gives its name to the Misery Hill cone, one of four major eruptive centers that constructed modern Mount Shasta.

The Misery Hill cone is younger than approximately 130,000 years.

The present summit of Mount Shasta is not part of the Misery Hill cone. It belongs to the younger Hotlum cone.

Several major Mount Shasta climbing routes converge near Misery Hill before continuing across the summit plateau.

Climbers have already ascended more than 6,000 vertical feet from Bunny Flat by the time they reach Misery Hill on the standard route.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How high is Misery Hill?

Modern LiDAR data places Misery Hill at approximately 13,846 feet (4,220 meters).

Where is Misery Hill?

Misery Hill lies on the upper slopes of Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County, northern California.

Is Misery Hill a separate mountain?

Not really. It is classified as a subpeak or volcanic shoulder of Mount Shasta and has only about seven feet of topographic prominence.

What is the prominence of Misery Hill?

Its modern LiDAR-based prominence is approximately 7 feet (2 meters).

What is its isolation?

Misery Hill has only about 0.11 mile (0.18 kilometer) of topographic isolation.

What is the nearest higher neighbor?

Mount Shasta is the nearest higher neighbor.

Why is it called Misery Hill?

The name reflects the experience of exhausted Mount Shasta climbers encountering another substantial uphill climb above 13,000 feet after already completing most of Avalanche Gulch.

Is Misery Hill the summit of Mount Shasta?

No. Misery Hill is a false summit. Climbers must cross the summit plateau and make a final ascent to reach Mount Shasta’s true high point.

What route reaches Misery Hill?

The famous Avalanche Gulch route crosses Misery Hill. Casaval Ridge, the West Face, and several other routes also reach the upper mountain near it.

Is Misery Hill difficult to climb?

The hill itself is not generally the technical crux of the Avalanche Gulch route, but altitude, exhaustion, snow, ice, wind, or loose scree can make it extremely tiring.

Do you need a permit to climb Misery Hill?

Yes. Because Misery Hill lies above 10,000 feet, climbers currently need both a Mount Shasta Wilderness permit and a Summit Pass.

What is the best time to climb Misery Hill?

The main season for Avalanche Gulch is generally April through June, sometimes extending into July depending on snow and route conditions.

What is the Misery Hill cone?

The Misery Hill cone is one of the four major eruptive centers that built Mount Shasta. It is younger than approximately 130,000 years and forms a significant part of the volcano’s upper terrain.

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